McMoRan Exploration Co., New Orleans, had indications of potential hydrocarbon-bearing zones at the Blueberry Hill deep gas sidetrack location on the Gulf of Mexico shelf, where it is also making hole on ultradeep appraisal wells on the Davy Jones and Blackbeard East prospects.
Log-while-drilling tools indicated sands with high resistivity below 23,100 ft that "may be the beginning of a hydrocarbon-bearing interval" at the Blueberry Hill-9 Sidetrack 1 in 10 ft of water on Louisiana State Lease 340. McMoRan has drilled the well to 24,279 ft measured depth, 23,500 ft true vertical depth.
The company is setting a liner above the identified sand section before running wireline logs to determine the porosity of the identified sands and quantify potential net pay. Because the current depth of the well is in a resistive sand, deeper drilling is required to determine the thickness of the identified sand interval. The well has a proposed TVD of 24,000 ft.
The sands identified to date appear of similar age to the sands identified in previous Blueberry Hill wells drilled in 2009. The 2009 wells, 3,000 ft north of the 9 sidetrack, established hydrocarbons in three zones between 21,300 ft and 22,500 ft. The data obtained in recent drilling indicate that a sizable fault appears to separate the well in progress from the three 2009 penetrations.
Working interests in the well are McMoRan 42.9% and Plains Exploration & Production Co. 47.9%.
Meanwhile, a group led by McMoRan has drilled the Davy Jones appraisal well on South Marsh Island Block 234 about 2½ miles southwest of the apparent discovery well below 10,800 ft enroute to a proposed 29,950 ft. It is expected to test Eocene/Paleocene Wilcox sections updip to the discovery well and deeper potential Wilcox and possibly Cretaceous Tuscaloosa objectives.
Another McMoRan group has drilled the Blackbeard East exploration well below 17,700 ft in 80 ft of water on South Timbalier Block 144. It is projected to 29,950 ft to probe Middle and Deep Miocene objectives seen below 30,000 ft in Blackbeard West, 9 miles west, as well as younger Miocene objectives.
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